The beauty of software is that you can have as many VCA modules as you want However, this does mean that while it does offer useful feedback on the input CV level, the ability to switch between Linear and Exponential responses is hidden in the ‘back panel’ settings, with no front panel indication of what mode it’s currently in. The current version of the VCV VCA is somewhat slimmer in appearance in order to save screen real-estate. The beauty of a software system is that you can have as many VCA (amplifier) modules as you want. Someone somewhere once said that you can’t have too many VCAs. It’s simple and effective, with decent character. Tonal shaping is handled by the VCF (filter) module, which is of a resonant 24dB/octave type, and with separate outputs for high and low pass variants. ![]() Remember also that noise generators can be used for non-audio purposes such as in sample-and-hold. Further sound generation come in the form of Noise, with variously ‘coloured’ noises available. That being said, the manual entry for the Wavetable VCO merely says ‘Coming Soon’, so some of the detail relating to this module remains hard to access (and this is far from the only module where this is the case). It’s worth pointing out that there is some context-sensitive help for the module parameters through VCV Rack, and more detailed referencing of the online manual can be accessed by bringing up the right-click menu in each module (where you will also find extended parameters and management features such as Randomize, Duplicate and Initialize). While not really intended as a recreation of conventional hardware modular, Reaktor is, however, a well-established and very powerful software system. Add-ons include officially licensed modules from Buchla, Intellijel, Mutable Instruments and others. Impressive software with 50+ included modules including modelled Doepfer. This can be expanded with other modules in various bundle sizes (all developed in-house). Voltage Modular Nucleus come with just over 20 modules to get you started. As such, modular systems are a great way of understanding how synths work. However, beneath this apparent complexity lies a cool logic – that there are no shortcuts. Of course, all this talk of CV (Control Voltage) Gates and Triggers in fact refers to their virtual equivalent in the VCV modular universe rather than actual analogue signals, but their (virtual) ranges here fall within familiar conventions such as 1V/Octave and 0-10 volts, with patch cables (in five colour options) used to do the routing.Īs anyone who has been brought up in the world of polyphonic virtual instrument plugins and who has subsequently stepped into modular patching will know, sometimes even the simplest sounds need a whole host of modules. MIDI notes can be generated by your computer keyboard or even a gamepad. Like any DAW they both need configuring for your specific hardware, but this is straightforward.įor more complex routing needs, the Core Library includes eight and 16 output versions of the audio module (and dedicated MIDI CC to CV and MIDI to Gate modules plus a range of their inverted counterparts for turning internally generated CV into MIDI data). Two critical modules here are VCV Audio and VCV MIDI to CV. On first launching VCV Rack, you are presented with a template patch that provides a nice overview of the signal connectivity required to create a MIDI-controlled, multi-oscillator monosynth. Both options are available for Mac, Windows and Linux, and a wider range of plugin formats for Pro are promised soon – ProTools and Logic users in particular will have to wait a little longer. Rack 2 Pro adds the ability to run VCV as a VST plugin within your DAW, and with more formalised professional product support. Rack 2 Free is fully-featured in terms of synthesis, but can only be used in standalone mode, and with just forum-based community support. Version 2 adds some new functionality, but there have also been a lot of tweaks under the hood.Īs before, Rack 2 comes in two flavours. ![]() ![]() This started life in 2017 as an open-source, cross-platform project, with a first ‘proper’ version arriving in 2019, followed by this latest major update two years later. We conveniently therefore arrive at VCV Rack 2. However, building a modular system is not for the hard-up or faint-hearted, and while some claim that the use of patch cables and difficulty in recalling a favourite configuration are a positive creative force, there is no denying that software brings big benefits. The massive growth in the availability of Eurorack modules has tied into this narrative, alongside the yearning for some musicians to travel down less predictable sonic pathways.
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